


The Many Adventures of Tony and his Service Dog

by Kit_Kat101



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: And it got me thinking..., F/M, From pupper to adult pupper, I was watching Soldiers Coming Home videos, To have someone there that understood?, What if Tony had a dog to come home to?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-29 16:34:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12088959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kit_Kat101/pseuds/Kit_Kat101
Summary: Tony was fine. He was FINE, thank you very much. He didn't have any issues, problems, or what have you.He was FINE. Well apparently, his therapist thought differently. His PTSD (PTSD really?) was manageable at best.He didn't need an animal, much less a dog to help him. That was until a pair of big round eyes stared up at him out of a gutter...





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I had this thought of Tony having a service dog. Can't you just see him melting over a dog that needs help just as much as he does? That he puts the dog through training in order to help him so they could help each other? I could and the thought wouldn't leave me alone. These are either going to be one-shots that aren't related to each other, or just going to be a story about a man and his dog. Either way, I'll be happy with it. :)

The first time he saw his bundle of joy was when he was walking out of a therapist's office at 8AM. He had been skillfully coerced by Pepper(he refused to think of any other word), to go so he could be able to sleep at night. But the thing was, even with therapy, he still had a hard time sleeping. He still had a hard time trying to stay awake, and it was getting to everyone he who was working in his building. Heck, even Rhodey, who had the patience of a saint, really wanted Tony to try some extra steps at trying to better his mental health. His mental health was fine, dammit! He was fine! Of course, Tony Stark always had a different definition of the word 'fine'. He walked the rest of the way to his car(he figured giving Happy some time off from driving HIM around might do him some good), and seriously, why in god's good name did all the parking have to taken so freaking early? That's when he heard the whimper, and Tony paused. He listened, thought he was hearing things and went to unlock his car. When he was about to press the button to unlock it, another whimper, slightly louder, sounded.

He turned, brow furrowing, trying to locate the sound. It was near him, but not near enough to be spotted easily. A clap of thunder startled both Tony and...whatever the hell was making all the noise. It wasn't a whimper now, it was a cry. Whatever it was, was scared now. And Tony couldn't really blame whatever it was. Water+Tony=Bad. 

So he walked to where he heard the sounded climbing up a few octaves, Tony looking at the sky somewhat nervously before peering back down and looking for the source to the sound. He had made it about 25 feet away from his car when the noise echoed, meaning it was in a gutter. And the noise was close enough to where he could hear it. So Tony looked at the source of the noise as he neared the gutter and peered inside. And wouldn't you know; a puppy lay inside. Stark might not be a people person, he may be questionable around animals, but who the hell dumps a poor and innocent puppy into a storm drain?! With a storm coming?! Tony couldn't really get a good look at the poor thing and he didn't want to wait until the storm kicked up to actually do anything. So, with a slight wince, he wormed his arm into the drain and dragged the now squirming puppy out. Once safely in his arms, Tony wrinkled his nose. The dog was wet and stunk to high heaven. A bigger and louder clap of thunder startled both him and the dog and Tony didn't waste another second in bringing the puppy in a more secure hold and fast walking to his car. Once he unlocked the driver's side door, he dumped the puppy into the passenger seat and Tony flung himself into his car and shut the door. Once safe and sound(and safe from being soaked), he started his car and drove back to his tower.

He didn't say anything or even look at the puppy. Why had he grabbed it? Why did he even listen to it? The dog wasn't going to help him. And he knew Pepper would either scold him for bringing a puppy to the tower in the first place, or already be picking up a name and a leash and collar for the damn thing. He shook his head, muttering under his breath as he went. The drive home was uneventful, if not for the snorts and other sounds coming from the puppy beside him in the other seat as well as the rain. He still didn't know why he went and grabbed the pup. I mean, sure, he wasn't heartless. But even Tony knew he couldn't take care of a dog. He could barely take care of his own eating habits(and let's not start that, shall we?). Tony sighed as he drove his car to his tower and parked it. He asked JARVIS if anyone was home. 

"Ms. Potts is sir." JARVIS said, sounding a bit cheerful.

"Why so cheery JARVIS?" Tony asked, as he winced when JARVIS mentioned Pepper being home.

"Well, you do have a dog with you sir." JARVIS said, though he made no other comment as to why that made him happy. 

Tony shook his head, opened his door, grabbed the puppy, closed his door and all but sprinted into the tower once the rain hit him. He walked briskly towards the elevator, trying to hide the fact that he had a puppy in his arms. Though he failed miserably. How was he supposed to tell Pepper about this? She wasn't a big fan of dogs. I mean, she was, but anywhere but at the tower. Well, especially not in a place that was meant to be kept organized. Tony regularly teased her about having OCD and loving every minute of it. Only to have Pepper roll her eyes and ignore the comment. He arrived to his floor, his space, his sanctuary, only to have Pepper standing with his arms folded across her chest, looking a bit miffed, but also smirking. She looked down at the puppy, then at Tony, and back again. Tony looked up to the ceiling where JARVIS's voice usually came out of and silently cursed at him. JARVIS didn't have to tell Pepper this. He looked back at Pepper and smiled sheepishly. Pepper's expression cleared, leaving all but the smirk. Tony wanted to scream at this point. What was with people(and JARVIS) today?

"Well, seems we have a visitor. Where'd you pick this one up Tony?" Pepper asked as she walked towards him and kneeled to the puppy's eye level. Tony knew in her tone that she was partially joking at this point, but still didn't relax.

"Um, in a storm drain." Tony said, inwardly wincing. He knew that Pepper, even though she didn't like dogs here, that she would place them in any foster home she could find. He saw Pepper's eyes flare in anger.

"A-A storm drain? In New York? Does the idiot who put the poor thing there not know how bad these things can get." Pepper said, standing and gesturing to the torrent of rain coming down to where you could barely see outside. Tony only nodded, the puppy making itself heard by a high pitched whine as another clap of thunder sounded.

Pepper's eyes softened and kneeled down to the puppy again, petting its head. After a moment, she wrinkled her nose. 

"Ugh, the poor thing stinks to high heaven. Tony, go give it a bath, please." Pepper said. 

"Why me?" Tony said, not coming up with a better comeback.

"Because you brought the poor dear home." Pepper said, smiling at him in a way she would a nasty reporter. He took that as his cue to leave and do as he was told.

After locating the nearest tub(the kitchen sink), he washed and scrubbed the dog vigorously. The smell was potent and took about half a bottle of baby shampoo to get the smell out. Once washed, he got a towel and dried the puppy off. He figured out the puppy was a boy. And it looked to be a German Shepherd puppy. It was all black with blue eyes. It would be a stunner when he got older. Now to think of a name, couldn't be that hard, right?

"All right, seeing as you'll be staying here for the night. I've got to get a name for you." he said softly and he picked the damp puppy up with the towel and carried him into the living room and sat down on the coach, putting the puppy in his lap.

"Comrade?"  
A snort. Okay, another one.  
"Peter?"  
A growl, okay, no.  
"Jessie?"  
A sneeze of disgust. What even...?  
"Walter?"  
A sharp bark, that's another no.  
"Vinnie?"  
A shift of his head. Was he shaking his head no?

This went on for another twenty minutes of Tony giving out random names and the puppy rejecting each and every one of them. Who knew giving a name to a dog would be so hard. He definitely hadn't seen that one coming. He was just about to give up when he had one last name to give out.

"Shadow?" He muttered, almost dejectedly, moving his head from looking at the puppy to leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. When no sound came, Tony moved his head back to find the puppy's head tilted but seemingly satisfied. Tony smiled, relieved and feeling slightly accomplished.

"Okay, Shadow then." he said, petting Shadow on the head as he wriggled out of the towel he was confined in. Tony helped Shadow out of the towel and placed him on the ground, Shadow looking up at him with those round eyes. 

Now he knew why he had picked Shadow up.


	2. First Time(Teething)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teeth marks...teeth marks everywhere. Everything chewed on, basically destroyed. How does a puppy become so destructive when starting out so small? Whatever the case as to WHY the puppy was chewing on absolutely EVERYTHING will be in need of some research and a little bit of inventing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've all been there, where dogs chew on anything because their teeth are growing in Whatever the reason, teething can be quite the adventure for both man and dog. It takes about 8 months(that's what I researched anyways), for a dog to stop chewing because of their teeth. 
> 
> I know there are other reasons for dogs to continue chewing on things( for example boredom), but I'm sticking with teething because the pupper is about 2 months in this story.

The night was upon them and Tony was fast becoming aware of how little he knew about dogs. Well, puppies in general. He had to learn how old(or in this case young) the puppy was. Shadow was about 2 months old, still a puppy. But able to eat regular dog food(thank goodness, because he didn't want a mess of milk on his floor, thank you very much). But he had no idea how his house could become looking like some termites made a home in his house. He found out just how bad when Pepper tried to get him to sleep. He tossed and turned enough times that at 3:15 in the morning(yes, he checked), he headed out of his room he shared with Pepper quietly. He didn't want to wake her, she didn't need her rest burdened because he was unable to sleep. So as he was making his way down to his workshop, he didn't notice anything, not at first. As he walked down to his workshop to work until morning, he flipped on the lights, rubbed the crusted sleep out of his eyes, and stopped. As he let his eyes adjust to the light, he could have sworn he had seen teeth marks on one of his workshop benches. He moved closer, seeing that indeed, there was teeth marks there. 

He would have sworn right then, but DUM-E came in rather slowly. And Tony soon had seen why. DUM-E's arm had been chewed on. And the little robot chirped slowly in an obvious note of pain and confusion. He had sworn then, shutting up quickly at DUM-E's obvious distress. He sighed and then wondered what else the puppy had gotten into. How had Shadow gotten into his workshop anyways? That's a question JARVIS could answer for him as he patted DUM-E on the head and made to fix his arm. The poor little guy, DUM-E didn't do anything wrong, and yet he had been made into a chew toy unintentionally. So he got out a tool he had invented whenever any sort of damage happened to any of his bots. Believe or not, he did care about DUM-E, Butterfingers, and U. More than most people thought. Hell, he cared about them more than most people. Excluding a few others of course. Once done, he patted DUM-E again, who chirped happily and rolled away from him to look after the other two bots.

"JARVIS, how the hell did the puppy of destruction get in here?" Tony asked as he made to smooth out the teeth marks on his workshop bench.

"Um, I believe..well." JARVIS said in a rather obviously reluctant tone. Tony's brows raised and he stopped for a moment.

"You believe what JARVIS?" he asked. 

"You have seemed to have forgotten to lock up the workshop in a haste to leave the shop at Ms. Potts insistence." JARVIS said sounding like he was holding back from laughing.

Tony just about slammed his head on the bench. You never ignore Pepper when she tells you to do something enough times. In his hurry(and lack of sleep ruining his memory), he must have forgotten to lock up and Shadow found his way down here. Which posed another question that made Tony's heart rate spike and make his way hurriedly out of the workshop.

"He didn't get into anything? Did he JARVIS? No oils? Bleach?" He asked as he rushed around to try and find the puppy.

"None sir. The pup was simply looking for something to chew on." JARVIS said. 

"Why chew on something? And in my workshop?!" Tony asked, ending it in a shrill yell upon finding more teeth marks. 

"I believe the pup is going through what is otherwise known as 'teething' sir." JARVIS said confidently.

"What, like a child?" Tony asked, finding the idea insane. Just as this idea of finding a puppy with a dark coat was insane. 

"The puppy is about...2 months old, as we had gathered earlier. The pup is losing its 'baby teeth' as it were. This behavior stops after 8 months. Unless, of course, the pup becomes bored." JARVIS stated.

The A.I sounded like a teacher schooling him in something he didn't know anything about. That didn't sit well with him. It meant he was out of his element. He fell silent after that, looking for the mischievous pup.

"Where's the puppy JARVIS?" Tony asked after a half hour of searching.

"I believe he is chewing on something near the laundry room." JARVIS said after a moment of searching around the tower himself. As if Shadow hadn't chewed on enough things already...

"Should have thought of asking you when I started this search." Tony muttered as he went towards the laundry room.

Once at the laundry room, he nearly tripped over some of his shoes before going to turn on the light. Once the light was turned on, he saw that several pairs of his shoes(and a couple of Pepper's shoes as well), were chewed on. He spied movement in the left hand corner of the room and took a couple of steps towards the puppy. Shadow merely looked up at him and went back to chewing what looked to be a pair of Pepper's fluffy white slippers. He got down on his knees and swatted Shadow's nose before taking the slippers away, a little bit miffed at the moment. He sighed in a frustrated way, thinking about all the things the puppy has chewed on, and what he had seen chewed on in his room. He would have continued being angry at the puppy, if a whimper of pain hadn't been heard. Tony looked down towards Shadow, who was now digging into his jaw with his paws. Probably trying to soothing the pain of teething. Tony sighed again, getting down on his knees and picking the puppy up and bringing him to eye level.

"Why did you do all of this, huh? Now Pepper's going to be on both of our butts." Tony said, earning another long whimper from the puppy. 

Tony rolled his eyes, sighed again and got to his feet with Shadow in his arms. Several times Shadow would try and chew on his fingers to assuage the pain. And every time, Tony had to tell him no. Only for Shadow to start whining in pain again. He walked to the living room and let Shadow see all the damage he had done in this room. Besides the laundry room, the living room had it the worst as well.

"You chewing on things stops right now." Tony said, sitting Shadow on his lap while another whine sounded. After a few moments of silence(and constant dodging of teeth on his fingers), Tony spoke to JARVIS.

"Hey JARVIS. Research stuff for teething puppies please." He stated quickly. 

"Right away sir." JARVIS said. A ping sounded near him. 

He had forgotten he had left a Stark Pad on the couch at one point. He reached for it with one had, while keeping the puppy immobile with the other. It was a miracle Shadow didn't escape the one-handed grasp. So he fished around one-handed, petting the puppy to try to calm him down once the pain came up again. Nothing was satisfactory for him. Shadow literally chewed on everything and anything solid. So he picked the puppy up, went back to the laundry room, grabbed the slipper Shadow had been chewing on, went back to the living room, set Shadow and the slipper down and let Shadow chew his way to his heart's content.

"That'll keep you busy for a little while." Tony said as he made his way down to his workshop. He was about to make the greatest chew toy that the world had ever seen. 

He didn't know he had worked for so long until he was finished and he heard a scream from above him. 

"Pepper." He muttered, quickly putting the finishing touches on the chew toy and running up the stairs to ward off Pepper. 

He knew she wouldn't hurt the puppy, she would never hurt an animal. But that didn't mean she wouldn't be furious with the dog. Once he was up and in the same room, he saw Pepper, her stance stiff, arms crisscrossed over her chest while the puppy was going at it with one of her slippers. The very slipper he had left to keep the puppy busy. He went towards her, walked around her, made eye contact with her and kneeled down to grab the slipper. Shadow clung on, but Tony won the battle, putting the chew toy in the puppy's place. Shadow looked confused and Tony shook his head at him.

"That's your toy now. No more benches, robots, couch legs, table legs, shoes, socks, coats, hats or anything like that. You have that." Tony said, pointing the now slobbery and chewed up mess of a slipper at the puppy.

The puppy sniffed it at first, then took a bit out of it. Then another, and another. And pretty soon, Shadow was going to town on that too. Pepper turned towards him, lips thinned and stared at him like she would an annoying insect. Tony winced and explained.

"Sorry about your slipper. It had to be sacrificed." He said, holding up a hand for Pepper to let him finish.

"I wasn't happy at first either. He chewed on my workshop bench, he chewed on DUM-E, he chewed on some of my most expensive shoes." He said, looking at Shadow at the last part.

"But he didn't mean for it to be intentional, I'm sure. Poor Shadow was teething. JARVIS made sure to tell me. Shadow didn't do it out of malicious intent. He did it to stop the pain in his jaws. And come on..." Tony said, kneeling down and picking Shadow up, looking up at Pepper.

"Can't be mad at that face, now can we?" Tony asked her as Shadow squirmed to get the toy back into his awaiting teeth. Pepper shook her head, but her expression softened: battle won.

He put the puppy down and Shadow nabbed it quickly, chewing on it vigorously.

"What's the toy? I know I'm asking a stupid question." Pepper said, rolling her eyes when she said this.

"Not stupid at all Pep. You see, this is no ordinary chew toy. It may look like a silver bone right now. But it regenerates after being chewed on. And it changes after each regeneration according to the dog's wants. He'll have this from a puppy to fully grown, if he so chooses." Tony explained. 

Pepper smiled warmly at him, then at Shadow, chuckling at the little growl as Shadow chewed on it vigorously. 

"He gets out of this one. But you don't. Now you have to pay for all of what he chewed up. He is yours after all." Pepper said, smiling a little more wider, kissed Tony's cheek and walked off.

Tony sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "See what you got me into?" he asked Shadow.

Shadow just ignored him, continuing to chew happily. Tony shook his head and walked off. Pepper's thought going through his head.

'He's yours after all.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, another one done! Gosh I had fun with this one. :)  
> Shadow will be a service dog, I'm just getting them acquainted to each other. :)  
> Anyways, I hoped you liked this chapter and many more adventures to come. :D  
> If you want to contribute any ideas, feel free to tell me. :)


	3. Privacy No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony didn't realize how much work a puppy would be. Or the fact he would have absolutely no privacy. Trying various methods and each of them failing, what will be the result of Tony's sanity?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will consist of bathroom training, training the pup to listen, learn to sleep in his own bed(or not). Just a bunch of things really. Tony's sanity is on the line in this one, lol.

Tony didn't realize how much work a puppy would be. Or the fact that he had absolutely no privacy. None, zero, zilch, nada, no comprenda, erased, and so on. It all started with Pepper marching in with Shadow in her arms, looking disgruntled as she entered his workshop. It had been a few weeks since the teething incident(which cost in about two grand worth of shoes), so he wasn't sure what he did this time.

"What's up Pep?" he asked, turning to her. Pepper grunted slightly, showing that she was a little more than disgruntled.

Shadow's head hung low, tail tucked between his legs as he was held. The epitome of guilt. Uh-oh....

"What's up? What's up is that I stepped into a little surprise this morning while rushing to get to a meeting this morning. I barely had time to wipe it off and it smelled horrible." Pepper said, deathly calm; which was never a good thing. And wait a minute...

"Did Shadow...?" Tony asked, trailing off with a grimace.

"Yes, and seeing as he's yours-" Pepper cuts herself off by handing Shadow to him. "-You clean it up. It's near the kitchen doorway." Pepper said, then turned and strode off, absolutely fuming.

Tony couldn't blame here, she was a busy woman. CEO and all that. One minute behind schedule messed up a whole day. But this was Pepper, even if it seemed like she couldn't pull it off, she did. The miracle worker that is his Pepper. He sighed, looked at Shadow, picked him up and strode out of his workshop; muttering under his breath as he went. He found the mess easily, and Pepper's discarded shoe on the floor. She probably left it when she came back for the meeting and switched shoes. Again, couldn't blame her. He put Shadow down near the mess and tapped him on the snout firmly.

"Bad dog." Tony said, unsure if he was doing this right or not. Shadow seemed to think so, slinking away after Tony reprimanded him; head down and tail tucked.

Tony sighed again, got some paper towels from the kitchen, cleaned up the mess, threw it out and cleaned Pepper's shoe off, grimacing at the smell. It was then he noticed a note; it was in Pepper's neat handwriting. It stated this: ' _If you cleaned up the mess, the pup has no food, toys, bed or other things. I've had JARVIS make a list of things to get the puppy. If you found him, you have to take care of him.' Love Pepper_

"Miss Potts wanted to make sure the puppy was well taken care of. Seems you have some shopping to do sir." JARVIS said, seeming a little smug.

"Don't get too smug JARVIS. You're on puppy duty while I'm gone." Tony said. He knew better than to cross Pepper when she was in a disgruntled mood. 

"Yes sir." JARVIS said, still sounding smug as Tony got dressed, grabbed his keys and sunglasses and left.

Buying things for Shadow wasn't easy. Collar and tags to identify him, dog food, treats, a multitude of toys, a bed, training blankets for bathroom training, a leash, and several other things. When paying the cashier just smiled and said, "New housemate huh?" 

Tony just grunted, paid and left with his things. All in all, it took a couple of hours. He even stopped to give Pepper some flowers and a new pair of shoes(she loved the color red), seeing as the smell wouldn't come out of her other shoes for weeks, His way of an apology. Upon coming home, it was chaos! Furniture torn up, several 'messes' he had to deal with and Shadow howling like he was in pain. Tony hurried to put all the things down and stepped over the messes to the puppy. Upon getting to Shadow, he stopped howling. Tony sighed, frustrated.

"JARVIS, help me out here." Tony said, feeling a headache coming on.

"I believe the puppy was howling because he was lonely. Puppies do that when not used to being alone or in a new environment without someone. And I tried sir, but I believe my voice just scares the poor thing." JARVIS said, sounding just as tired as Tony felt.

Tony sighed for the millionth time today, picked up Shadow, tapped his nose every time they came to a mess he made. He then set the puppy next to him while he unpacked everything. Clipped the collar with the tags on it onto Shadow, set up the bathroom pads, put away the dog food, treats and toys, and set the flowers and Pepper's new shoes on the kitchen table. He then went back to the puppy, hands on his hips and looking sternly at him. 

"All right you little bugger. Time to learn." He said softly, Shadow just sneezed in response. 

"Okay, first things first." Tony said, picking up Shadow and placing him on the bathroom pads. "Those are the designated bathroom area. Until I can trust you to take you on with a leash that it." Tony stated. 

"If Pepper sees one more mess, we're both in the doghouse. Hell, I already am, you're home free. I'm taking all the damage for you." Tony said, exasperated. 

He then went and set up Shadow's food and water dish, filling each and watching as Shadow dived into both. Tony rose his brows at the puppy.

"Jeez, and Pepper calls me a slob." Tony mutters. 

Once Shadow was full, he curled up on the ground near the couch and dozed off. Tony grew envious.

"I wish it were that easy for me." The engineer said softly. "JARVIS?"

"Yes sir?" The A.I answered back.

"I'll be in the lab. Tell me if Shadow tries to make any..messes." He said, grimacing. 

"Will do sir." JARVIS said, somewhat pained by having puppy duty again. With that, Tony went down to his lab to have his own version of quiet time.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Sir?" JARVIS asked.

"Yes JARVIS?" Tony said, looking up from some calculations he was putting on his suit. His thrusters needs a little bit more of a boost. Plus, it didn't hurt to have more firepower. 

"I believe the puppy is attempting to...make a mess." The A.I said, sounding disgusted. 

Tony rushed out of the lab, found the puppy where it had been laying the last time he saw it, seeing him squat, rushing over and scooping the puppy and putting him on the bathroom pads just in time for Shadow to do his business. Tony sighed, relieved and cleaned up the mess after Shadow was done.

"Nice save sir." JARVIS congratulated him. Tony said grunted in response, catching his breath. He looked at Shadow.

"You're trying to give me a hard time, aren't you?" He asked the pup. Shadow only give Tony the 'puppy dog face' as many people seemed to call it. Tony sighed and went to get a treat for the pup.

"Seeing as you did it the right way this time. With my help." he said, placing the treat near Shadow and watched him gobble it up. He replaced the bathroom pads easily and sat down with a tired sigh, rubbing his temples. 

Afterwards Shadow kept pawing him, whining. He wasn't sure what he wanted, until JARVIS gave him a helpful hint.

"I believe he wants to play with you sir." The A.I uttered. 

"Of course he does." Tony said, getting up and getting a toy for him. The result? Tug or war and fetch for two hours straight. Tony finally had enough and sat down the the couch.

"It's like taking care of a child." Tony muttered.

"What is?" Pepper asked, striding in and seeing Tony on the couch and Shadow just sitting there with his toy, looking up at Tony.

"Shadow. Bathroom training him today almost gave me a heart attack. And don't get me started on playing with him." He said, looking up at her.

Pepper only grinned, bent down and grabbed the toy and threw it down the hallway. Shadow chased after it, barking madly. After a few moments, he didn't come back. So Tony just assumed Shadow was chewing on it. Tony sighed, relieved. For the time being, he was free. Pepper sat down, putting his head into her lap and rubbing his temples. 

"I loved the flowers. But the shoes I wasn't expecting." Pepper said softly.

"You deserved a new pair. Dog poop isn't a smell you need at a meeting." Tony said. Pepper laughed lightly, causing Tony to smile a little too. 

After a little bit of down time, Pepper and Tony brought out the new dog bed, placed it in the corner of the living room and placed Shadow on it. 

"That's where you're staying for the night. Your new bed. Enjoy!" Tony exclaimed, smiling. Pepper smirked, hiding a laugh.

They went into their bedroom, got dressed for bed and laid down to sleep. Despite Tony always having trouble sleeping at night, taking care of Shadow wore him out. He was out like a light...until Shadow came scratching at their door and howling. Tony and Pepper tossed and turned, trying to go back to sleep and trying to drown out the howling. 

"I bet the whole of New York can hear that." Pepper said, glaring at the door. Tony looked at her, it had been a couple hours of howling and it was still going.

Pepper sighed, "Go let him in. Bring some bathroom pads with you." She said.

Tony nodded, let Shadow inside, went and got some bathroom pads, laid those down, along with his teething toy that Shadow was still using and let Shadow up and lay on the end of the bed.

"One night only, you howler monkey." Tony muttered, finally able to drift off to sleep with Pepper. And oh, would Tony eat those words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took forever to get out. All of my family is sick, and I've finally come down with..something. Not sure if it's the cold flu, or some variant of that. But I wrote this instead of resting. Enjoy! The next chapter will be quicker, I promise. Any ideas of the pupper's next adventure with Tony can be commented down below. :)


	4. To Help a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adventures galore had happened so far. And in only the first few weeks mind you. Who knew a puppy would be so good at making someone feel better after all the chaos...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so sorry! I meant to get this out WAY beforehand. But a lot of things got in the way and I lost my muse to write. But it seems it has returned. So I award all of your patience with me with a new chapter! Enjoy! :D

Shadow didn't just sleep in their bed for one night, oh no. It seemed he made it his resident sleeping spot. Tony and Pepper tried to shoo him out one too many times. But after a few months of trying, they gave up. There was way too much sleep lost because of this "maniacal howler monkey" as Tony so blatantly put it. The bathroom training migrated from bathroom pads to Shadow actually scratching at the door to be let out. So there were many walks to be had. By now, the pup had to be about almost a year old. So he was getting big, bigger body, bigger paws, bigger eyes...bigger bark. Although, Tony had to admit that Shadow did make a very intimidating dog. Though Shadow showed no signs of being protective or aggressive in any protective way, he just figured it would take time. And they had plenty of it, well, to a certain point. Pepper and him(and sometimes Happy, to his unfortunate delight), had to take turns babysitting him. And this time, it was Tony's turn. Pepper was CEO of his company after all, and a planned business trip with some reps they were trying to ally with were meeting in Seattle. And Happy was off...somewhere, Tony didn't actually know where Happy disappeared to. Probably trying his best to miss out on dog-sitting, smart guy. Meanwhile, Tony would be here, in his lab, just...being here really. So Shadow was with him, by default. Tony drove Pepper to the airport, with Shadow tagging along, and wished her good luck. With a quick kiss, hug and a little wave, Pepper was gone. Tony sighed and strode back to the car, it appeared, while gone, Shadow had hopped into the passenger seat after Pepper and Tony left to say their goodbyes.

Tony eyes Shadow, who just stared right back at him. Damn those puppy dog eyes! Even when growing, this dog could still use it against him. Tony eyes him for a second more before stating, "We could harness your eyes as a weapon." He said, before stepping inside of the car and driving off with the dog.

Unfortunately it wasn't a particular good drive home, because a freak rainstorm came out of nowhere and the pounding of the rain against the car was freaking the dog out. So much so that the dog puked...all over him, the front seat and...anywhere he could reach really. Tony cursed out loud, the smell hitting him almost instantly. Shadow just continued making a racket, making Tony's head pound after he managed(with great difficulty) to wipe some of the puke off himself and the steering wheel. All the way home after that, he was wishing for the lights to turn green faster, for the cars to go faster. And damn it all, he went around a lot of cars in front of him in order to get to the tower. The smell had gotten so bad, he was almost about to puke himself. And seeing as he couldn't of opened the windows because of some freak storm, the smell festered. He practically raced his car through the garage before stopping with a screech. He quickly unlocked the door the practically tumbled out, coughing and gagging. It might seem like an exaggeration, but you had to be there to smell it. Shadow had climbed out after Tony managed to pick himself up and open the other door for him. The dog had practically sat in his own sick the whole way home. That thought nearly did make Tony puke. 

He turned and glared at Shadow, whom looked downright guilty and uncomfortable, can't imagine why. After a moment of choosing between his car and the dog, the dog obviously won over the car. Wet and sick dog wasn't going to be fun to clean. Might as well get that over with first. 

"Come on. Let's get you clean." Tony muttered, tugging on Shadow's collar firmly(but not harshly), to get the dog to move.

Shadow hated baths, anything to do with water. And Tony felt sorry for the poor dog, the rain had obviously freaked the poor thing out. But then the smell came back and he stopped being sympathetic. He got Shadow into the nearest bathroom, got the necessary supplies, and made Shadow hop into the bath once the water was warm enough. The reaction of the dog was instantaneous, kind of like his whole day really. Water went everywhere as Shadow tried to get out, barking and howling like he was in pain. Tony knew water was a sore spot for both of them, but this needed to get done. He'd apologize later, if Shadow ever looked at him the same way again. Because the dog was looking at him like he was about ready to gut him(in a scared way, not aggressive). After a long while of water being tossed around everywhere, he managed to clean Shadow thoroughly enough to where the smell was finally gone. Or so Tony hoped anyways. Once done, he drained the water and had to hold back a desperate dog getting out of the tub in order to dry him off enough so he wouldn't make the floors wet. After that, Shadow jetted off like his behind was on fire.

Tony then spent the next several hours sanitizing the bathroom he used for Shadow, then cleaned his car(which is story in and of itself), and then finally a shower for himself. He couldn't get his clothes off fast enough, nearly cracking his head open as he struggled to get his legs free of his pants. Kicking away the soiled clothes, Tony jumped into the shower and scrubbed himself down. He must have spent a couple of hours just scrubbing himself raw before actually using shampoo to wash the rest of him. After he got out and dressed in more pristine clothes(Tony decided the ones he wore were now to be tossed), he went in search of Shadow. For a growing dog, he was extremely hard to find. He ended up needing JARVIS's help. JARVIS wasn't too pleased himself when he had to answer that question.

"He's in one of the guest bedrooms. He appears to be rubbing himself to get dry. I find it most unsanitary sir. Seeing as you had to wash him after his little...incident in the car." JARVIS said, a little displeased. 

Tony just shook his head and strode to where the dog lay, or was rather rolling, on the ground and trying to get dry. Tony again felt sorry for the poor thing. Was he really going to apologize to a dog. Yes, apparently he was. Fancy that, Tony muttered something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like, "Can't believe I'm doing this." Before he knelt down close to where Shadow was rolled himself around, ignoring Tony at the moment. It would have looked comical, if Tony hadn't remembered the way Shadow reacted to the water. Much like himself, back in the old days. Well, not that long ago. He sometimes still had trouble with water to this day. The images of Afghanistan moved forward into his mind and he shook his head to clear it as he finally spoke to Shadow. Or tried to at least.

"Shadow buddy?" Tony called out to him. Shadow ignored him, continue to roll around and trying to dry his fur.

"Shadow?" Tony asked, trying again. It was like talking to a toddler all of a sudden. This time though, he received a grumble as a reply. Tony pressed for one final time.

"I'm sorry buddy, all right? You needed to be cleaned. No one wants to smell wet dog and vomit coming home." Tony said, wrinkling his nose in response to his own statement.

The moving stopped for a split second and Shadow turned to him. Shadow looked downright annoyed, grumbling again at the man just a few feet away from him before dismissing him to dry his fur off once more.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Fine, I can see when I'm not wanted." He stated as he got up and left the room.

Tony shook his head, Shadow did indeed have a personality on him. A little too much like him at times too. Tony decided, now that Shadow was ignoring him, to get some work done in the lab. He hardly had enough time down here when Shadow had been a bit more of a handful. But now that he trusted Shadow a little bit(he hoped Shadow wouldn't take advantage of that), he hoped that he could get some peace and quiet. Peace and quiet is what he got. Shadow must have been really annoyed with him, because he'd usually be pawing at the door because he wanted to be near Tony. When Shadow hadn't appeared, Tony knew that Shadow was avoiding him. Who knew dogs could have an emotion like that? Tony shook his head and got back into his work. He was working on how to make a better power supply for his gauntlets. Yes, the arc reactor was the thing powering them, but he needed to find a better way to conserve it, to make it last longer in bigger battles. It was a must on his list for a long while now. After what seemed like a few minutes, JARVIS cut in.

"What is it JARVIS?" Tony asked, a little annoyed. 

"I feel it is my duty sir, to tell you that you need to rest. Your eyesight isn't that good to go for long periods of time like you have." JARVIS stated. 

Tony actually looked up at the clock for that. Huh, it was about five in the afternoon when he came down here. Now it was about 2:30 in the morning?! No wonder he felt as if his eyes were crossing. But he didn't want to sleep. And he was often difficult to get to bed anyways. JARVIS seemed to sense this and chose to use a very good threat he's used over the years.

"Sir, I will lock you out of your own workshop if you do not get some rest." JARVIS said, stating it in a rather stubborn demeanor. 

"You wouldn't." Tony said, narrowing his eyes.

"Try me sir." JARVIS said, even when threatening, he was polite as always. Tony rolled his eyes and held up his hands. JARVIS had locked him out in the past, no need to go pushing the wrong buttons. 

"All right! You win JARVIS. Have a nice night buddy." Tony said, walking out of his lab after a heartfelt farewell from JARVIS. 

Tony went up to refill Shadow's food and water dish on the way to his room. It seemed Shadow didn't come out of hiding just yet. Tony shrugged, he'll come out when he wants to. And seeing as he now slept at the foot of any bed where Tony, Pepper or both of them, lay; it was only a matter of time. He went into the room he shared with Pepper, got on a quick phone call with her to see how she was doing and then got dressed for bed. Once he climbed into bed, he realized how exhausted he was. He ended up going to sleep far faster than usual. Maybe because taking care of a growing puppy would tire anyone out. He was out like a light. But not for long, nightmares came quickly. It was a mis-mash of images at first. But it culminated to being shoved under the water again and again. How ironic was that? He must have been screaming, he must have been. Because he suddenly shot awake when a warm and solid presence spooked him out of his sleep. Tony, breathing heavily and erratically, looked around and found Shadow laying beside him, head on his lap. Shadow was looking up at him and once seeing Tony notice him, got him, sniffed him, and licked him gently on the face. 

Normally, Tony would have pushed him away. But this was a welcome distraction. The kind ministrations Shadow was doing helped calm him down quickly from his nightmare. Once Shadow was sure he was okay, Tony thought he would leave. But he didn't, he stayed with Tony. Even when Tony fell back asleep, Shadow was right there with him. A solid presence, a comforting one too. And it had been the first night of good sleep in had in some time. Even when Shadow seemed mad at him, the unconditional love the dog showed to Tony was something he would treasure. Even if he would never really say anything like that, he hoped Shadow understood anyways. Upon morning reaching them, Tony got up, Shadow too; wagging his tail while following Tony. Tony had to smile down at Shadow as he gave him a treat, watching him crunch down on it. He bent down, petting the soft fur. 

"Thanks for looking out for me buddy." He said softly. Shadow just licked his face in reply, Tony took it in stride; chuckling.

Things were smooth sailing from there. Or at least as much as possible in this case. They developed a routine at night, both snoozing together to get a goodnight's sleep. Because, wouldn't you know it, Shadow had nightmares too. Tony had been woken up by Shadow howling in his sleep, only for Tony to pet him and hum a soft tune under his breath until Shadow calmed down back into sleep. And then Tony would follow right after. Pepper would ask how they were doing and Tony would just smile and said, "Better."

When Pepper got home, Tony embraced her; Shadow shadowing him. Pepper noted that Shadow had followed Tony before, but never like this. The dog was watching his every move in an almost concerned way. A protective way. Pepper smiled, knowing that Tony's and Shadow's relationship was solid. Or at least more so than when she left. Tony noticed her smile after making sure Shadow stayed put, something else Tony never did. She would have to ask him about that later.

"What is it Pep?" Tony asked, tilting his head a little. Shadow mirrored the action. This was too precious. 

"It's just lovely to see you two finally getting along." Pepper said, smiling a little more.

There was a look shared between the man and his dog only they would understand. Pepper would be lost to it even if it was told to her. This bond was strengthened and there was no going back. Tony looked back at her and smiled warmly.

"Let's just say we've aired things out." He said, chuckling. Shadow gave out a bark in reply. 

Yes, this bond was strengthened, and it warmed Pepper to see it up close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try(keyword try), to get more chapters out that aren't a year apart from each other. That was beyond ridiculous on my end. I'll be apologizing until the end of time for my negligence. But I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. :) More coming.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a start of a new adventure. Also, no timeline is in this. It'll probably be during the first Avengers movie because we have a lot of time in between that. And I can have a lot of badass dog moments when it comes down to it. Plus, Peter Parker in the recent Spiderman movie, will be in there at some point. :)
> 
> So, do you like it? Want me to continue it? Do you have ideas yourselves for what adventures these two can have? I can feel like I'm falling in love with this already. And that's just the way I like it. :D


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